Transferring to and from a wheelchair often results in injurious falls. These injurious falls may happen to physically challenged individuals of all ages who depend on a manual wheelchair for mobility.
In a study in 1994, 1.6 million community dwelling Americans were using a wheelchair for mobility (3), by 2003, 2.2 million community dwelling Americans relied on wheelchairs (4), 2007 there were 3.3 million non-institutionalized wheelchair users (7), and today the numbers continue to climb. In 2003 more than 100,000 wheelchair-related injuries were treated in emergency departments in the US, with trips and falls accounting for 65-80% of the injuries across all age groups (4). A large number of falls involving wheelchairs highlight the problem of unstable manual wheelchairs. There are many devices available to maintain safety while using a wheelchair, including wheelchair locks on the back wheels, safety cushions, anti-tipping devices, and frame modifications (1). Nothing exists for securing the front of a manual wheelchair from moving and preventing the wheelchair from sliding out from under the user during transfers in and out of the wheelchairs. While level transfers, side transfers, and short transfer distances are recommended, and grab bars and transfer boards can help reduce potential falls (5), they do nothing to stabilizing the wheelchair from moving during transfers. The most frequent injuries diagnosed from falls involving wheelchair users are fractures, contusions, lacerations, strains, sprains, and over use of the upper extremities (4). While scrapes, nicks, and bruising are not always avoidable during transfers, when left untreated, can lead to life threatening pressure ulcers, infections, and death.
In the home, there are a variety of situations that can cause falls for wheelchair users during transfers such as: slippery/wet floors during shower transfers, loose rugs, low furniture, furniture that moves easily, lack of handrails/grab bars in bathrooms, uneven floors, slippery floor surfaces (linoleum, laminate flooring, tile, etc.), and non handicapped friendly bathroom and bedrooms (1).
Moreover, many wheelchair users suffer from unpredictable, involuntary muscle spasms. When involuntary muscle spasms occur, they contribute to the difficulty in transferring to and from a manual wheelchair by throwing the user and/or personal care assistant, nurse, nurses' aid, therapist, etc. off balance, causing the wheelchair to tip or move during the violent kicking motion of the legs, causing the user and/or assistant(s) to fall, thereby causing possible injury to one or both of them.
Hospitals and Institutions categorize falls as the largest incidents reported (6), despite devoting enormous amounts of time and money to reduce patient falls. Wheelchair users in the hospital, like all inpatients, whether temporarily or permanently confined to a manual wheelchair, encounter an unfamiliar physical environment, changes in medical conditions, and new medications, all of which puts inpatients and the wheelchair users more at risk for injurious falls, especially during transfers. One example would be hospital rooms that have highly waxed tile floors and beds whose brakes do not lock or do not lock adequately, therefore allowing the bed to slide away from the wheelchair during transfers resulting in falls and possible injury. Another example would be newly paralyzed/amputated wheelchair users, who are unfamiliar and unsure how to transfer to and from a wheelchair safely.
Many designers continue to make wheelchairs lighter in weight, allowing the wheelchair to move more easily out from under the user during transfers and increasing the chances for falls (for example a 23 lb. low, sporty, manual wheelchair and personalized settings that have cambers and tires several inches above the seating area-vs.-a 200 lb individual,) make transfers more unstable and difficult to control while the user tries to lift their heavy paralyzed body up and over the tire to transfer out or to lower the body down into the seat from a higher position to get back in the wheelchair.
Inadequate braking systems on wheelchairs and brakes that are out of adjustment make transferring difficult even in the most ideal situations by allowing the wheelchair to shift or move during transfers. However transferring into and out of a vehicle often takes place in less than ideal weather conditions (uneven surfaces, potholes, wind, rain, sleet, snow, icy surfaces, inclines, declines, wet grass, mud, etc.). The front tires on a manual wheelchair are not equipped with locks/brakes; therefore the self transferring users must rely on the back brakes only to keep the wheelchair in position during transfers.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,635,575 designed in 1926 called a Transfer Device for Invalids has a wheelchair with a back that unlatches and reclines back so as to makes a flat surface between the wheelchair and the hospital bed. The wheelchair back has brackets attached that hook over the hospital bed frame connecting the two together. The invalid is transferred in a prone position across the wheelchair back and onto or out of the bed. The Transfer Device for Invalids does stabilize the wheelchair from moving away from the bed, but the invalid has to have assistance from nursing staff to transfer. Today wheelchairs do not have backs that recline and attach to objects being transferred to and from, possibly due to safety issues, but most important because wheelchair users today want to remain as self sufficient and independent as possible. Moreover, the prior art patent fails to lock the front wheels of the wheelchair.
There is a long-felt, unmet need for a device to secure the wheelchair frame to the object being transferred to or from that prevents the wheelchair from sliding/moving away during transfers, giving the wheelchair user more control in dangerous situations.
Objects of the present invention include to be an important assistive device to prevent a wheelchair from moving out from under a user as they transfer in and out of their wheelchair. Other objects of the present invention include preventing injury from occurring during transfers to and from a wheelchair, injuries not only to the user, but also to the individuals assisting them (Personal Care Attendant, Nurses, Nurses' Aids, Physical Therapists, Family Members, and Friends).
Tips and fall prevention efforts should be our number one priority as they are the leading cause of wheelchair related injuries. The Wheelchair Stabilizing Device will help stabilize wheelchairs by preventing the front end of the wheelchair from rolling away from the object being transferred to or from, and allowing a gap large enough for users to fall into, or if using a transfer board, preventing the transfer board from sliding off the wheelchair or object during transfer, and throwing the individual off balance and possibly onto the floor/ground causing a fall and possibly serious injury.
The Wheelchair Stabilizing Device keeps the wheelchair user as independent and self sufficient as possible, but also gives the personal care assistant, nurse, nurses' aid, therapist, etc. for physically challenged individuals, who need more assistance, an easy, stabilizing, attaching device for faster and safer transfer.
Not only does the Wheelchair Stabilizing Device protect the wheelchair user from falls, but also the Nurses, Nurses' Aids, and Therapists from injuries while assisting them. The Wheelchair Stabilizing Device would give Personal Care Assistants, Nurses, Nurses' Aids, and Therapists better control of the physically challenged individual being transferred to or from a wheelchair, by stabilizing the wheelchair from moving and therefore allowing Personal Care Assistants, Nurses, Nurses' Aids, and Therapists to have both hands on the individual instead of trying to hold the physically challenged individual and the manual wheelchair in place at the same time. During uncontrollable muscle spasms, the Wheelchair Stabilizing Device would keep the wheelchair secured into position preventing it from tipping or moving and allowing the physically challenged individual/personal care assistant, nurse, nurses' aid, or therapist to regain their balance and prevent an injurious fall.
The Wheelchair Stabilizing Device will be cost effective and affordable to all income levels of physically challenged individuals; therefore the wheelchair user could have several of these devices permanently installed throughout their home (on the bed, shower chair, toilet, etc.) and in their vehicle for quicker and safer transfers.
While manual wheelchairs have inadequate braking system and brakes that can be out of adjustment due to loose bolts on the braking levers and worn tires, the Wheelchair Stabilizing Device can not be out of adjustment because it is either attached or not, with such readily and visibly determinable by the physically challenged individuals, personal care assistant, nurses, nurses' aids, physical therapists, family members, and friends to insure the Wheelchair Stabilizing Device is properly hooked/clamped securely before beginning to transfer, further ensuring safer and more controlled transfers and fewer injuries.
Light weight and low sporty models of wheelchairs being designed today; make transferring even more challenging and dangerous for the physically challenged individual, Personal Care Assistants/Nurses/Nurses Aids/Therapists/Family Members, And Friends. The Wheelchair Stabilizing Device would eliminate at least one dangerous situation by stabilizing the wheelchair from moving out from under the physically challenged individual while transferring.
References
The following references are cited by number throughout this disclosure. Applicant makes no statement, inferred or direct, regarding the status of these references as prior art. Applicant reserves the right to challenge the veracity of statements made in these references, which are incorporated herein by reference.    (1) http://www.dhss.rno.gov/InterventionMICA/Injury_From_Falls/older_adults.html    (2) Falls and Fall-Related Injuries in Elderly Nursing Home Residents: Exploring the Person and Environment. Elizabeth E. Hill, PhD, RN http://stti.confex.com/stti/bc39/techprogram/paper—35623.ht    (3) American Journal of Public Health; January, 2002, Vol. 92, No. 1; Wheelchair Users at Home: Few Home Modifications and Many Injurious Falls. Katherine Berg, PhD, PT; Marilyn Hines, BA; Susan Allen, PhD.    (4) Wheelchair Related Injuries in US Emergency Departments. Injury Prevention 2006; 12; 8-11. H. Xiang, A-M Chany, and G A Smith. doi:10.1136/ip.2005.010033    (5) Secondary Injury Prevention and Farming From a Wheelchair The National AgrAbility Project Staff. 2006-2007    (6) Nurses' Solution to Prevent Inpatient Falls In Hospital Rooms. Nur. Econ. 2008; 26 (3): 179-187 2008 Jannetti Publications, Inc. Posted Aug. 11, 2008 Huey-Ming Tzeng, PhD, RN; Chang-Yi Yin, M A http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/576954 print    (7) 2007 Disability Status Report: United States Cornell University www.disabilitystatistics.org    (8) Wheelchair Use in the United States Disability Statistics Center Abstract 23 May 2002 http://dsc.ucsf.edu/publication.php H. Stephen Kaye, Taewoon Kang, and Mitchell P. LaPlanta    (9) Health, United States 2008 32nd Annual Report by the Sec. of the Dept. of Health and Human Services for the President and Congress    (10) Home Care Oct. 1, 2002 OPEN DATES by Marjory Garrison http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fluid=NDEwODc5OO53D53D    (11) Disability and Health in the United States, 2001-2005 U.S. Department of Health and Human services July 2008 DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2008-1035    (12) U.S. Pat. No. 1,635,575